We deal with hundreds of clients going for job interview each year – and we’re constantly asking them what they get asked.

This a collection of those very questions. We update it on an ongoing basis and hope you find it useful. If you would like to submit to us questions you’ve been asked, email liam.horan@slinuacareers.com

Openers:

• Tell me about yourself. What is your background?
• What do you know about our company?
• Did you have problems finding us?
• Talk us through your career to date.
• Talk me through your CV.

Work Experience/Job Performance:

• Why should we hire you? Why do you think you’re the right person for this job?
• What unique qualities or abilities would you bring to this job? Could you give me an example of how you displayed each of these qualities in your current job? In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our company?
• What aspects of your previous experience do you think will be most helpful to you in this role? Is there any unique experience that would be likely to be of benefit to you in this position. Please outline this.
• What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
• Tell me about a time that you failed at something, and what you did afterward. What major problems did you encounter and how did you deal with them?
• Are you a team player? Describe a time when you worked on a team project. What was your relative position on the team? Were you satisfied with your contribution? How could it have been better?
• How do you work under pressure? Give an example of a way you deal with pressure? How do you typically behave when a deadline is approaching?
• How do you react to criticism?
• What has been the biggest disappointment in your career to date?
• What is your greatest achievement to date?
• Describe your first week in the job if you are successful.
• What relevant experience do you have for this position?
• What are the most important projects you worked on in that job?
• Have you experience delivering projects on-time and within budget? Tell us about one of those projects.
• Tell me about a time when you needed to motivate an under-performing team member?
• What experience do you have of managing budgets and getting the best value for money?
• What experience do you have with IT and administration?
• How would your company react if you moved on?
• What do you think of your current boss?
• What is your general impression of your current company?
• Are IT skills relevant to your role?
• Can you give an example of your planning and organisational skills?
• Give an example when you excelled in your communication and interpersonal skills.
• What are you doing to ensure you continually remain updated in your field?

Education/Training/Future Goals:

• What would you hope to achieve in the first 12 months?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What do you see as the next step in your career?
• Why did you choose your college and course of study?

Company Research:

• Why have you applied for this particular position? Why do you want to work here?
• What do you know about this job?
• What do you understand to be the main objectives of this position?

Personal:

• Can you work alone?
• Can you work as a member of a team?
• What type of person do you get along with best?
• What difficulties do you have in tolerating people with different backgrounds and interests from yours?
• What kind of decisions are most difficult for you?
• Is it ever necessary to go above and beyond the call of duty to get your job done?
• What size team are you typically managing?
• What are good communication skills
• How do you deal with stress?
• What are some personal strengths that will help you do this job?
• Describe some of the most difficult situations you have faced involving conflict with another person at work. How did you handle the situation?
• What is your leadership style and how do you think it will suit this role?
• How do you rate your communication skills?
• What was the most complex report you ever had to write?
• What sporting activities are you involved in outside of your present role?
• What has been your biggest achievement in your work to date?
• What approach do you take to managing under-performance in staff?
• What work outcome are you most proud of to date?

This role

• List some ways you can make a difference in the new job.
• What would you say are the main qualities this job demands?
• What training do you think you may require for this job?
• From what you know about our company and this job, would you be interested in it and why?

Personal Effectiveness

• How do you manage your own performance?
• How do you prioritise your work?

Delivering results

• What work outcome are you most proud of to date?
• When did you face a work challenge where it looked like delivering results would be an impossibility?

Observational

• How would you define a conducive work atmosphere?
• Tell me about the last time someone gave you negative feedback about your performance. Did you agree? How has this feedback impacted on your actions?
• In your opinion, what are the most important qualities needed for this position?

Strategic Management & Change

• What is your approach when faced with change in the workplace?
• Tell me about a time when you had to lead people through difficult change – and what was the outcome?

Situational

• Have you worked with a group like this before? What was it like? How did you handle it?
• Did you work alone much in your previous job?
• Have you experience in a situation where you were required to produce results?
• How did you work with other stakeholders in a situation where a result was the end product?
• Tell me about a situation in which you had to adjust quickly to a significant change in organisation, department, or team priorities. How did the change affect you?
• How would you approach a situation where performance is not meeting projections?

Performance through people

• Tell me about a time when you motivated a team effectively.
• What approach do you take to managing under-performance in staff?

Closures:

• Have you any questions for us?